Fast Breeder Test Reactor

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Fast Breeder Test Reactor

Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) is a nuclear breeder reactor located in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. It was designed and built by India's Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in partnership with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Construction started in 1972 and FBTR first became critical in October 1985, making India one of the few countries to master breeder reactor technology. The plant was intended to produce about 40 MW of thermal power and around 13 MW of electric power. Its initial core used roughly 50 kilograms of weapons‑grade plutonium.

FBTR faced technical problems and was shut down from 1987 to 1989, operating at very low power for several years. From 1989 to 1992 it ran at about 1 MW, then in 1993 power was raised to about 10.5 MW. In September 2002, the reactor achieved a milestone by reaching 100,000 megawatt-days per metric ton of uranium (MWd/MTU) in fuel burn‑up, a key indicator for breeder technology. On March 7, 2022, FBTR reached its design power of 40 MWt.

The reactor uses a plutonium-uranium carbide fuel (about 70% PuC and 30% UC) and is cooled by liquid sodium. The plutonium for the fuel comes from irradiated fuel from the Madras power reactors and is reprocessed at Tarapur. Some uranium in the core is produced by transmuting thorium bundles.

FBTR, along with the KAMINI reactor, provides experience that supports India’s plan to build the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, which is in an advanced stage of construction.